What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

I already have CAT-6 for network and CAT-5e for the phones. I plan on a home-run type wiring setup into a Leviton Structured Media enclosure. I bought a 500 foot spool of RG6, but I'm wondering if I should take it back and get the RG6U Quad-shield instead that costs about $25 more.

This is the first time the walls have been opened in 45 years and it may be another 45 years before they're opened again. I want to do it right and plan for the future (ergo the choice of CAT-6 for data, for example).

Advertisement

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

I went with RG6U Quad-shield
1st floor I left what was there - since I have access from the basement

2nd floor I also have access with 10' conduit I ran
But since 2nd floor was not wired I went with the Quad
I only went with 5e, since I have access I can run newer if needed
It's been my experience in that by the time some new tech has come out new wire is out too
So I don't go with the higher rated PC network cable
Phone I had a 1000' roll of Cat3 leftover so I used that

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

I don't really have a utility area where I can just throw punchdown blocks into, I need something like a structured cabinet to make it look neat and organized. I would do it your way if I could though, it would be cheaper.

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

Quote:

Originally Posted by brons2

I don't really have a utility area where I can just throw punchdown blocks into, I need something like a structured cabinet to make it look neat and organized. I would do it your way if I could though, it would be cheaper.

Go buy a cabinet door that you like that is big enough
Use 1x's to build a frame & put the door on
A small structured cabinet can go for $100+
Then usually you have to buy all of their add-ons that fit in that cabinet

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

You can get an 18" Rough-In can and an 8x8 combo telephone and cable splitter for pretty cheap. With you living in Texas and not having a basement this is a good solution. You can put the box in a spare closet somewhere, make all your connections, close the door and never worry about it again. You will want to run electrical to the can. It will have a knock out in it for an electrical plug. This comes in good use when you want to network out of it by installing your modem there.

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

For the coax question, plain RG6 is just fine. That's what you'll have feeding the house as well. Quad shield is never necessary unless a) you want to feel a false sense of security in signal quality, or b) you're living 2 feet within a power-plant turbine.

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

With a 10% off coupon the price of the quad was equal to the reg RG6 normal price

If the price ends up being the same, then there's nothing wrong with buying it. Just don't expect any difference whatsoever in signal quality and power.

Here's something to keep in mind: RG-6 aerial cable is not quad shield (not in the system I work for, and as far as I know, other systems such as Comcast do not use quad-shield either). Now keep in mind, the drop cable is a minimum of 18 inches (or less, depending on how the cable is anchored to the pole/strand) below power. There is far more current and voltage running through a power transmission line, than through a household outlet. Signal degradation does not exist with coax that is a foot or so from high-voltage, uninsulated, unshielded power transmission lines, so you have NOTHING at all to worry about in a household.

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

Quote:

Originally Posted by brons2

I took the RG6 back and got the quad-shield, the difference in price was inconsequential. I'll sleep better knowing it is quad-shield!

Could you please explain why it'll help you sleep better? There really is 0 difference when it comes to protection. Regular already has a foil shield (which in itself is usually enough to stop most interference), and then on top of that has an aluminum braid (this certainly finishes the protection off). To me, quad-shield is more of a marketing hype. "Monster cables" comes to mind for this as well, but that's a different topic for a different day.

What type of cable to install for a whole house rewire?

Works for me

Quote:

So, what's the result of these differences in shielding? Engineers measure the effectiveness of a shield by what is termed "transfer impedance," which indicates the extent to which a signal outside of the cable reaches the inside. Transfer impedance is a function of frequency, so to gauge the relative effectiveness of shields, one has to know what the frequency band in question is, but at all frequencies, a precision video cable with a 95% braid and foil outperforms quad shield cable. The following table is taken (with permission of the author) from the Audio/Video Cable Installer's Pocket Guide, McGraw-Hill 2002, by Stephen Lampen, an engineer with Belden Wire and Cable. It shows the transfer impedance for various shield configurations on RG-6 type cables at various frequencies; the lower the number, the better.